A right-wing group, affiliated with RSS, is installing Muslim citizens loyal to Prime Minister Modi at Muslim universities as part of a push to accumulate Muslim votes ahead of the general elections, Reuters reported, citing officials.
The report claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was attempting to drive Muslim voters away from Congress and other parties by trying different strategies.
In the past two general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) only won about 9% of the Muslim votes. However, the party is targeting up to 17% in the elections this time. Opinion polls are also indicating that the BJP, which has no Muslim members in parliament, may easily win a third straight term.
“It is for certain that the BJP will win a much bigger percentage of Muslim votes than the last time,” a senior RSS leader told Reuters.
Meanwhile, Muslims and many rights groups allege the BJP government has propagated anti-Islamic rhetoric and vigilantism and demolished numerous Muslim-owned properties, including masjids and madrassas.
Citing the officials, the report said that the RSS has been placing Muslim allies on top posts in universities, which is something unheard of, marking a new approach and working from within the community. Moreover, RSS also has branches working with Christians, Sikhs, and other religious groups.
“Membership in the RSS’s Muslim Rashtriya Manch, formed in 2002 for dialogue between Muslims and the RSS, has jumped 10,000 to 1 million since Modi took office a decade ago,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
‘Love of nation’
Kumar told Reuters that in the past, universities and schools in Muslim-majority areas, especially in Kashmir, where the government fought insurgency for decades, served as hotbeds of Islamic activism and even sanctuaries for people in India’s interests.
“These schools were anti-India, and they would disrespect the Indian flag and not celebrate events like Independence Day and Republic Day, but now it is changing,” the spokesperson said.
He claimed that the network among teachers was building adequately, students were coming on board with studies, and love for the nation was building up in these institutions.
He said that the RSS’s Muslim wing seeks to create a well-organised system to reach out to the youth and the teachers in Muslim-majority universities, including Aligarh Muslim University, the University of Kashmir, Jamia Millia Islamia, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, and Jamia Hamdard.
Citing a senior professor, the report stated that the vice-chancellor of the University of Kashmir raised the India flag on Independence Day and Republic Day, after which the national anthem was played. Rarely, a vice-chancellor may have done so in the past.
“Playing the national anthem is mandatory for every function now, and it is also ensured that all the students and staff stand up as a mark of respect,” a university faculty member said.
‘Obeisance to Modi’
Last year, vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) resigned to become a BJP state lawmaker, and three months later, he was titled as a party national vice-president.
A professor of medieval Indian history, Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, claimed that increasing numbers of faculty close to the right-wing affiliated parties have joined the university in recent years.
“My vice-chancellor knows that he can continue as a vice-chancellor only if he pays obeisance to Modi ji, he told Reuters.
However, former vice-chancellor of the University of Lucknow, Roop Rekha Verma, said, “If ideology is given priority over qualifications and lots of people are placed through the back door holding the same ideology, then it is very damaging to the intellectual atmosphere.”
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Arsalan Nazir | 
